Back to the future + Social housing | The Guardianhttp://www.theguardian.com/housing-network/series/back-to-the-future+society/social-housing
Indexen-gbGuardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. 2015Tue, 03 Mar 2015 23:13:34 GMT2015-03-03T23:13:34Zen-gbGuardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. 2015The Guardianhttp://assets.guim.co.uk/images/guardian-logo-rss.c45beb1bafa34b347ac333af2e6fe23f.pnghttp://www.theguardian.com
Lifting housebuilding restrictions could reduce standards and affordable housing in the long runhttp://www.theguardian.com/housing-network/2013/apr/12/housebuilding-restrictions-affordable-standards
Reducing housebuilding restrictions may boost development, but will it be at the expense of standards and affordable homes?<p>After the Olympic euphoria of 2012, the UK has now been through its warm down routine. The Olympic Park and stadium are now mothballed, awaiting major changes to transform them for another use; buildings will be removed or remodelled, housing will be added and a football club will eventually move in.</p><p>What will this busy period of development in Stratford mean for the delivery of high quality, affordable housing in London's east end and what will its impact be on housing design and the built environment?</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/housing-network/2013/apr/12/housebuilding-restrictions-affordable-standards">Continue reading...</a>Housing NetworkDevelopmentFuture of housing hubHousing lawSocial housingHousingSocietyCommunitiesFri, 12 Apr 2013 07:30:03 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/housing-network/2013/apr/12/housebuilding-restrictions-affordable-standardsMartin Godwin/GuardianNew apartments under construction in Stratford, east London. Photograph: Martin Godwin for the GuardianMartin Godwin/GuardianNew apartments under construction in Stratford, east London. Photograph: Martin Godwin for the GuardianClive Smith2013-04-12T07:30:03ZSocial landlords have myriad of options when it comes to maintenancehttp://www.theguardian.com/housing-network/2013/apr/05/social-landlords-options-maintenance-outsourcing
Social housing maintenance has moved on from simply arguing over whether insourcing or outsourcing is best<p>From the moment new homes are complete they are destined to decay, through material and component breakdown, the impact of the weather and from residents' actions and they need maintenance to sustain them for future generations and to retain or enhance their value.</p><p>In the case of social housing, landlords look to provide safe, secure, good quality and, preferably, energy efficient homes which are warm and weather-proof and with reasonably modern facilities.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/housing-network/2013/apr/05/social-landlords-options-maintenance-outsourcing">Continue reading...</a>Housing NetworkHousing managementPracticeSocial housingHousingCommunitiesFri, 05 Apr 2013 09:02:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/housing-network/2013/apr/05/social-landlords-options-maintenance-outsourcingVera Berger/ Vera Berger/CorbisThe state of repair of a tenant’s home is a top priority for social housing residents. Photograph: Vera Berger/ Vera Berger/CorbisVera Berger/ Vera Berger/CorbisThe state of repair of a tenant’s home is a top priority for social housing residents. Photograph: Vera Berger/ Vera Berger/CorbisJane Nelson2013-04-05T09:02:00ZBack to the future: a housing movement no more?http://www.theguardian.com/housing-network/2013/mar/29/back-future-housing-movement
Has commercialism has changed the social housing sector for good? In an era of social business, not necessarily<p>Whatever happened to the &quot;housing movement&quot;? How much is there in common between <a href="http://g15london.org.uk/" title="">a G15 housing association</a>, a homelessness agency, <a href="http://www.almos.org.uk/" title="">an arm's-length management organisation</a> and a <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/housing-network/2013/feb/08/for-profit-housing-providers-discussion" title="">for-profit registered housing provider</a>? To put it another way: have we lost our belief in making a difference to people's lives? Is a housing job now just a meal ticket rather than a vocation?</p><p>The sector looks very different from even just a few years ago. The largest housing groups are increasingly commercial. Some have explored turning into public limited companies. Some have become developers in their own right. Others provide maintenance services as money-making ventures. A growing number have issued bonds for hundreds of millions of pounds.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/housing-network/2013/mar/29/back-future-housing-movement">Continue reading...</a>Housing NetworkHousing managementHousing network blogPracticeFinanceSocial housingFri, 29 Mar 2013 09:45:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/housing-network/2013/mar/29/back-future-housing-movementJohn Stillwell/PAHousing associations are diversifying into new markets such as providing social care services. Photograph: John Stillwell/PAJohn Stillwell/PAHousing associations are diversifying into new markets such as providing social care services. Photograph: John Stillwell/PAGreg Campbell and Maggie Rafalowicz2013-03-29T09:45:00ZBack to the future: time to rediscover the visionary origins of planninghttp://www.theguardian.com/housing-network/2013/mar/22/back-to-future-origins-of-planning
Planning is not the barrier to economic growth that the coalition government likes to suggest<p>The planning movement has been one of the most influential mechanisms for delivering sustainable development and social justice for over a century. It began as a visionary and progressive force, a movement which blended utopian garden cities with environmental protection and a radical idea about redistributing resources for ordinary people.</p><p>In later decades, planning was criticised as bureaucratic and disconnected from local people. In response, the coalition government set about reforming the system with twin goals: shifting power away from the centre, and promoting economic growth. And so the Localism Act, the housing strategy and the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) were introduced.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/housing-network/2013/mar/22/back-to-future-origins-of-planning">Continue reading...</a>Housing NetworkFuture of housing hubPolicyDevelopmentPlanningPlanning policyLocal governmentSocial housingFri, 22 Mar 2013 08:45:01 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/housing-network/2013/mar/22/back-to-future-origins-of-planningDavid Sillitoe/GuardianLetchworth Garden City: Our planning system has its roots in the visionary ideals of the garden cities. Photograph: David Sillitoe for the GuardianDavid Sillitoe/GuardianLetchworth Garden City: Our planning system has its roots in the visionary ideals of the garden cities. Photograph: David Sillitoe for the GuardianKate Henderson2013-03-22T08:45:01ZBack to the future: it's time to reset social rent and housing benefithttp://www.theguardian.com/housing-network/2013/mar/15/social-rent-housing-benefit-equation
We can't address a lack of housing supply until there's more certainty about subsidy – even if the benefit bill rises<p>Let me pose a riddle: when is a subsidy not a subsidy?</p><p>The much-derided &quot;bedroom tax&quot; has sparked a renewed debate over housing policy. The policy is ostensibly designed to release underoccupied space to overcrowded households, but the knock-on effect could force social tenants into more expensive private accommodation with a higher housing benefit bill for the government.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/housing-network/2013/mar/15/social-rent-housing-benefit-equation">Continue reading...</a>Housing NetworkFuture of housing hubFinanceHousing benefitPolicySocial housingHousing benefitFri, 15 Mar 2013 08:45:01 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/housing-network/2013/mar/15/social-rent-housing-benefit-equationCarl Court/AFP/Getty ImagesWhat is fairness? Families living in identical homes will be affected differently by reform of the welfare system. Photograph: Carl Court/AFP/Getty ImagesCarl Court/AFP/Getty ImagesWhat is fairness? Families living in identical homes will be affected differently by reform of the welfare system. Photograph: Carl Court/AFP/Getty ImagesDavid Hall2013-03-15T08:45:01ZBack to the future: landlords to enjoy greatest freedoms since 1945http://www.theguardian.com/housing-network/2013/mar/08/landlords-freedom-since-1945
The government can no longer afford to subsidise housing, but it's actually a time of opportunity for housing associations<p>The last five years has seen the end of a love-in between central government and housing associations. The government likes local authorities again – or at least hates them less. There is little money for associations to build more homes, and those councils with retained housing stock – even while they struggle with the cuts they are having to make – are starting to see that they might once again build new homes on a significant scale.</p><p>The two most visible changes to the housing sector are the rapid growth of private rented property and the idea that the total subsidy to anyone in the shape of benefits should be capped. The view that housing is a commodity that the state should provide – and that the state should ration, control and allocate it – has lost nearly all of its intellectual coherence.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/housing-network/2013/mar/08/landlords-freedom-since-1945">Continue reading...</a>Housing NetworkFuture of housing hubPolicyFinancePrivate rented sectorSocial housingHousing benefitHousing benefitFri, 08 Mar 2013 08:45:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/housing-network/2013/mar/08/landlords-freedom-since-1945Albert Mccabe/Getty ImagesNot since the 1960s have landlords been so unencumbered by government regulation and intervention in housing. What can we expect for the future? Photograph: Albert Mccabe/Getty ImagesAlbert Mccabe/Getty ImagesNot since the 1960s have landlords been so unencumbered by government regulation and intervention in housing. What can we expect for the future? Photograph: Albert Mccabe/Getty ImagesKeith Jenkins2013-03-08T08:45:00Z